More of the Same: A Gender Lens on Life in a Changing Climate in Sub-Saharan Africa

This chapter provides a desk-based review of peer-reviewed and grey literature on gender and adaptation to climate change in the context of rural sub-Saharan Africa using a feminist political ecology approach. The aspects of rural livelihoods reviewed are health, water, and energy. The existing empirical evidence is limited. The literature tends to be deductive, based on past experiences with floods and drought. Adaptation strategies focus on building resilience to the impacts of extreme weather events linked to a changing climate. There are signs that women and men are taking their own steps to adapt based on their knowledge of their natural ecosystems and their past experiences with drought—some of which also lead to shifts in gender roles. The chapter makes the case for taking a gender approach in analysing vulnerability and resilience, since both are gendered states that can offer a more holistic insight into the diverse coping strategies of households and communities. The overall conclusion is that while communities in SSA have recognised the change in weather patterns and the impact it is having on their lives, it is not something new but ‘more of the same’. Their priorities for securing their livelihoods can be shaped by the ways in which people attach meaning to the environment and climatic events, such as droughts.